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Herpes: detection of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
Recently, the detection of DNA of the herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 in the material from vesicles and ulcers of the skin or mucous membranes (including the conjunctiva of the eyes) by the PCR method (a very sensitive, specific and rapid diagnostic method) has been used to diagnose herpes infection. This method can be used to detect the virus in the cerebrospinal fluid. A negative PCR result does not allow to exclude herpes infection, since due to the short reproductive cycle of the pathogen (in epithelial cells it is only 20 hours), the material for research can be taken too early or too late. A positive PCR result indicates only the presence of the virus in the human body, but does not allow to distinguish carriage from an active infection.
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